Conversion Corner – Ironskulls Boyz with Chris C

Ironskulls Boyz are on the hobby block today but they are too much like normal ard boyz (I’ve seen enough of them with having an ironjawz army).

At first, having played ironjaws for AoS I thought “weapon swaps should be easy”, but the Ironskulls sculptors have done a sterling job and made the weapons far superior to the ‘ard boyz standard armaments (bugger). Luckily destruction or ork bits are readily available as I’ve played them (orks) for many years.

First up is Ironskull himself who needed a head swap as it just isn’t gnarly or comical enough for an orruk boss and he needed a unique weapon. In a flash of inspiration I remembered the flash gits captain head and the lost orruk pirate fleet was born (alongside a new AoS army idea). Adding on a beastclaw raiders sword to suitably change one of the original weapons was all else that was needed. The original sculpt of the model gives a lovely flow without the need for a change in weapon placement.

Next up is Bonekutta with the double handed axe. Not being a huge fan of both his head and axe, I swapped the head out for a flash gits bandana head and the axe with a ogre halberd, which looked surprisingly like some sort of sailing ship gizmo. I also put some paraphernalia on the belt, ropes, bags and other odds and ends. He is now First Mate Bonekutta….

Then we have Hakka, the original positioning of the model was very flat (and felt like a throw back to 80’s/90’s sculpting). Carefully slicing the arms off at the elbow plates enables them to be twisted to create a more menacing posture (opposed to show boating). A top knot was then added for height and an extra weapon as no self respecting orruk would leave home without at least 3 weapons!

Finally Basha, the pose of the model seemed fine however I wanted something “scavenged” within the group. Beastclaw raider/ogre clubs are perfect with a rocky texture underneath iron bolts and bandings. Finding a whip from the ork gretchin kit also gave Basha the “taskmaster” look, I can just imagine him keeping the grots in line with a crack of the whip (and a thump from a club for the unruly ones)

Chris’ Top Tips

Choose a theme, by having a theme in mind the final results will be better!

Practice, choose a technique your unfamiliar with and use it as an opportunity to expand your knowledge. (Even if it’s a bit rough it’s orks after all!)

Good clippers are a must, flat edged and sharp will make the job easier.